Transformations News from the Fistula Foundation, Summer 2008 Hamlin Fistula Hospital Opens New IN THIS ISSUE Hospital in Harar, Ethiopia Page 2 | Letter from The Hospital was financed entirely Executive Director by a grant from the Fistula Foundation and its Tesfa Ineste Page 3 | An Interview with “A program lead by Ethiopian-Americans Walk to Beautiful” filmmakers The Fistula Foundation announced that | Page 3 Discussion Guide for the new Fistula Hospital in Harar, Teachers Ethiopia began accepting its first patients on June 1, 2008. The Hospital was Page 4 | “A Walk to Beautiful” Outside of Harar Hospital DVDs financed entirely by a grant from the Fistula Foundation and by the Ethiopian- The Hospital was inaugurated in a Page 4 | New York Students American community in the United ceremony in Harar on Friday, May 9, Raise Money with Hope States, through the Foundation’s Tesfa 2008. Dr. Catherine Hamlin, Addis Ineste program. Ababa Fistula Hospital founder, her son Page 5 | Tesfa Ineste: Richard Hamlin, Kassahun Kebede, Chair Volunteers with a Heart The new fifty-bed Hospital will provide of the Fistula Foundation Board, and fistula repair and rehabilitation to women Abaynesh Asrat, Fistula Foundation Board Page 5 | Latest News in the entire eastern part of Ethiopia, who Member and Tesfa Ineste Chair made previously had no access to such care. It remarks at the ceremony. Representatives will also provide emergency obstetric from the Fistula Foundation were honor - services and fistula awareness outreach ed to participate in the inauguration, services in an effort to prevent obstetric along with Ethiopian officials. fistulas from occurring in the first place. The Harar Hospital is the fourth of five new regional facilities built by the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital to serve women in remote parts of Ethiopia. A fifth hospital in the town of Metu is under construction. Opening Day: (left to right) Stephen Saunders (FF Board Member), Anne Ferguson (FF Operations Director), Dr. Catherine Hamlin (founder Hamlin Fistula Hospitals), Abaynesh Asrat (FF Board Member, Tesfa Ineste Chair), Kassahun Kebede (FF Board Chair), Kate Grant (FF Executive Director) Board Of Directors Letter from the Executive Director Abaynesh Asrat Ato Tekalign Gedamu Dear Friends, (honorary) Kate Grant (ex-officio) We hope that this newsletter finds you and your family thriving. We have had a very busy spring and Deborah Harris are happy to give you an update. Kassahun Kebede Cleopatra Kiros May, in particular, was an active and exciting month Linda Levee Samuels for the Foundation. As the article on the first page Allan Rosenfield, MD describes, Foundation representatives were delighted to C. Stephen Saunders, Esq. be in Ethiopia on Friday, May 9th for the opening of the new Hamlin Fistula Hospital in the Eastern Gerald Shefren, MD Ethiopian city of Harar. The day was sundrenched, Mary Tadesse with visitors from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Robert Tessler, Esq. Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom Whitney Tilson attend ing the opening ceremony. Dr. Hamlin virtually Kate Grant, Executive Director, Linda Tripp glowed with joy as the fourth of the five new regional Fistula Foundation Larry William, MD hospitals was opened with fanfare and great appreciation for the work of the talented Ethiopian staff, responsible for the construction. On Tuesday, May 13, the Emmy-award winning television show NOVA on the Public Broadcasting System showcased the film “A Walk to Beautiful”. The film, which was named best feature-length documentary by the International Documentary Association, was viewed by more than 2.3 million people that night, providing millions more people with a window into the tragedy of obstetric fistula and the pioneering work of Dr. Hamlin and her staff at the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. We are pleased to be able to give you all the opportunity to learn more about the film, by going either to the PBS website at www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beautiful or to the film’s website at www.walktobeautiful.com. On both websites you can learn more about the film, the filmmakers, and on the PBS site you can also view the Transformations 54 minute version of the film online. In addition, as described on page 4, you can also buy a copy of the DVD to share with your family and friends. The film is a A publication of wonderful way to introduce potential supporters to the work you are supporting. The Fistula Foundation Lastly, we want to encourage you to consider making a donation to help defray 1171 Homestead Road the costs of the film, which is still in deficit. Suite 265 Santa Clara, CA 95050 We are grateful for your continuing interest in supporting our work Tel: 408.249.9596 and for your kind generosity that makes it possible. Toll-free: 866.756.3700 Fax: 408.244.7328 Sincerely, [email protected] www.fistulafoundation.org Kate Grant 2 | A Walk to Beautiful: An Interview with the Filmmakers The Award-winning film, A Walk to Beautiful , a masterful work Director, Mary Olive Smith Q: The film shies away from of art, was also a labor of love for the filmmakers at Engel pointing the finger at any one Entertain ment, the producers of the film. We wanted to share element of society. Was it sometimes with you the perspective of Executive Producer, Steve Engel and tempting to do so? Director, Mary Olive Smith to questions Foundation supporters Mary Olive Smith: Anyone not fully have asked. educated as to the complex causes of a Q: How did the film come into being? condition like fistula could very easily blame men, religion, or entrenched Executive Producer, Steve Engel: For some years, the senior cultural practices. But, beneath the team at Engel Entertainment wanted to do a feature-length film. surface, the problem always comes In 2004, I read Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times column back to poverty and the difficult about obstetric fistula. I had never heard of the condition, and Executive Producer, Steve Engel balance of a society barely living at the to me the astonishing childbirth injury was jaw-dropping, and I subsistence level. Many economists and felt we had to make a movie about it. A friend offered seed aid workers now believe that money and we began to plan out the film. The more research we empowering women is the key to did the more compelling the desire became on our part to see lifting African societies out of their the film become a reality. After a year of struggling to raise misery. money, my wife, Heidi Reavis and I decided to proceed with production with the funds we had raised at that point – about Q: You mentioned that the 25% of the budget. We began filming in early 2005. fundraising for the film was tougher Q: How did you gain the trust of the women in the film ? than you’d initially thought. Can Director, Mary Olive Smith : There are certain issues where you give us an update on that effort? women have no cultural boundaries. Childbirth is one of them. Steve Engel: The production of the Being able to look these women in the eye, not turning our heads, film was more expensive and took more time -- over three years -- and listening is what they desperately needed. I was just another than we originally thought. So far, we have raised around woman sitting on the floor of the hut willing to openly share in $600,000 to fund the production, distribution and outreach, but her sad situation. the costs have exceeded well over $1 million. We appreciate the support from all sources and are enormously grateful for the Q: How did you choose the crew to work with on this film? contributions we've received from the Fistula Foundation donors. Steve Engel : Our two most senior producer-directors, Mary Olive Smith and Amy Bucher, both of whom have been at Engel What is on the horizon for the film? Entertainment for more than a decade, were available and Steve Engel: We are making a big push to get the DVD broadly passionate about the subject and the opportunity to shine a light distributed in the U.S. and are distributing the film to broad - on this issue. We staffed almost every field position with Engel casters in Australia, New Zealand, Norway and South Korea, Entertainment women and our field crews even took lessons in and to broadcasters in many African countries to help raise Amharic, a main language in Ethiopia. awareness of obstetric fistula. The Foundation is grateful for all the support given to date for the film. If you want to support the film, please go to our website www.fistulafoundation.org. Our donation form provides the opportunity to contribute specifically to the film and we encourage you to do so. Discussion Guide for Teachers NOVA developed a Teaching Guide to enable teachers to use the film as a teaching tool. The eight-page guide is available for viewing and/or download ing on the NOVA website. The Guide includes background on the film, a detailed Discussion Guide with suggested activities. It was designed for college age students or for high school AP science classes. Margy Kuntz, an experi - enced writer and editor with more than 24 years of experience, developed the Guide. She has authored numerous educational supplements, basal text materials, and trade books on health, science, math, and computers. www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/3508_beautifu.html | 3 | There are two different versions of Theatrical Version the film available. We encourage This is the Feature-Length you to consider ordering one of Documentary version, 84 minutes long, which ran in these two versions.